Are customers truly maximizing the potential of their new solar if installations are on older homes with dated HVAC controls/thermostats and inefficient lighting?
By Kelcy Pegler Jr., Solar Power World Contributor
As residential PV installers, there is a sense of great pride in helping people replace their old, dirty, and expensive electricity with new, clean, inexpensive, solar power. With more and more homeowners seeing the direct benefits of solar, it is natural for them to look toward the next step to further reduce their energy consumption. After all, are customers truly maximizing the potential of their new solar if installations are on older homes with dated HVAC controls/thermostats and inefficient lighting?
One of the next steps many homeowners have been pursuing is to integrate energy efficient home automation tools into their homes. The promise of home automation has been talked about for some time, but developments such as Google’s recent purchase of innovative home hardware company Nest for $3.2 billion dollars, underscores the potential for the home automation market. Recent industry reports are also bullish on the home automation market including one put out last year by Berg Insight (“Smart Homes and Home Automation”) that stated the number of new smart home installations in North America was on track to reach 2.3 million in 2013.
Basically, home automation uses electronics to automate or provide remote control household systems such as HVAC. For example, Nest makes internet connected thermostats and smoke detectors that self-adjust to adapt to user preferences. Many Nest products are implemented into homes in a “do-it-yourself” style. However, as companies like Nest expand and home automation grows into a more complicated process that links household HVAC, lighting, home appliances together, not to mention the future potential to connect EVs and support other smart grid advancements, the need for outside experts to help advise homeowners is apparent.
With many solar installers already taking on the role of trusted energy consultant and advisor for many home owners, and given the fact that most leading residential solar companies employ savvy installers and proven customer service experts, our industry is well positioned to take an active role in the emerging home automation market.
When combined, solar and home automation systems stand to save customers big money, but it is important that homeowners think holistically about how to best deploy these systems. Solar installers have the track record and trust of their customers, and are poised to help homeowners as they embark on this next step, so it is in everyone’s best interest if we all embrace this fast growing market.
Kelcy Pegler Jr. is co-founder and CEO of Roof Diagnostics Solar (RDS), an industry leading residential solar sales and installation company, and one of Solar Power World’s Top 250 Solar Contractors. With more than 400 employees in New Jersey, Massachusetts and New York, RDS has helped bring cost-competitive clean energy to more than 5,000 homeowners. You can see other posts from the Roof Diagnostics Solar at their blog here.
Frans De Greef says
Automate and management each appliance or device in your home whether or not you’re there or miles away in a completely completely different country. This automation works expeditiously for saving cash on utilities and providing convenience overall.